Five Reasons that Mo-mo is Awesome

1)  She has a sense of humor.
2)
3) 
4)  She makes awesome noises.

5) 

Today for you, tomorrow for me.

There is one good thing about breaking my iPod:  I started rooting around my old CDs for something to listen to while in the car.

I rediscovered this:

And I'm not talking about the horrible, horrible movie version.  No, I'm referring to the Broadway soundtrack.  I think I may have blocked out my love of this musical because of that awful movie.

Yes, it's cheesy.  Everybody has AIDS (haha Team America) and everyone does drugs.  The bad guy is named "Coffin" for godssake, they might as well just named him Hitler.

But it's still fun.  And I still know every single freakin' line.

"December 24th, nine p.m. Eastern standard time, from here on in I shoot without a script...."

Eureka! You remind me of the babe.

Inspiration has struck.

In the form of Jareth, the Goblin King.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen.  I have decided to create the awesomest of awesome costumes:  I am going to be David Bowie's character from the movie the Labyrinth.  As an androgynous popstar, I'd like to think that he'd approve of the cross-gender costume.   

That means Mo-mo will be baby Toby.

I may also have to learn every single word to the song "Dance, magic, dance".




Poor Batman.  There are four things in the world he despises: 
1) Nascar
2) Pugs
3) Muppets
4) David Bowie


Somehow he will survive.   But perhaps I should put off buying a pug for awhile. 

Searching for inspiration

So #50 on my 101 list is to attend a science fiction convention.  In a very lucky turn of events, St. Louis's yearly science fiction/fantasy convention called Archon is being hosted this year at Westport Plaza.  Only five minutes from my parents' house!
 
Even cooler, they have a masquerade contest (i.e. a costume contest).  Have I mentioned that I LOVE costumes?  As in, I dressed up as a pirate for multiple Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  And a vampire for a random Blade movie.  And I trick-or-treated every single year until I turned 18.  And...well, you get the point.  I really like costumes. 

I admit, I usually hide my inner nerdiness quite well.  But I want to participate in this masquerade and go all out.  The problem is, I can't decide what to be. 

Option 1:  Death from the Sandman comic book series

I love me some Neil Gaiman.  But the only problem is that Batman is going to dress up with me...and there is no way he can be the Sandman.  I was thinking he'd make a good Destiny.

 
But if we started dressing up like the Endless, I'd want to go all out.  I may have convinced my friend Shortstuff and her fiance to dress up as Delirium and the Sandman (he's tall and skinny).  Shortstuff hates all things sci-fi but loves costumes...so we'll have to see what wins out.

Then all we're missing is Desire, Despair and Destruction. 

Option 2:  Fiona and Shrek and Puss 'N Boots
Batman would make an awesome Shrek.  Fiona would be fun too, I don't know if I'd do human Fiona or ogre Fiona.  Mo-mo would be awesome as Puss 'N Boots!

Option 3:  I have yet to figure out option 3.

Any suggestions?  My brother may dress up with us if I figure out something cool....the sky is the limit, we could do anything from literature, movies, TV, comic books....

We have to go back to the island.

I am totally unfulfilled.  By the season finale of Lost, that is.

I admit, there is hardly any explanation that I would have been 100% content with.  But I think I would have much preferred an alternate timeline theory or something to the real-life-seeming-purgatory explanation.

Batman and I started watching Lost solely because of my Uncle Robert.  My uncle is a very large, very southern man who attempted to explain season one by telling us that he thinks that there are mole-men around the island, dinosaurs that eat people, and a young baby who may or may not be the anti-Christ but he was pretty sure he was because a psychic sent him to get stranded on the island and why else would he do that to a baby?

My uncle painted quite a compelling picture.  Batman and I decided we HAD to try this show.  And we've been hooked ever since.

There have been the lame moments.  Nikki and Pablo?  Remember those two from Season 2?  They were a waste of space.  This last season was also annoying at times with introducing random important plot points rather than making it seem organic or actually woven into a story line.  It's my pet-peeve when you read a trilogy that has a fourth book tacked on--it just feels, well, tacked on.  This last season was kind of like that.

Speaking of important moments in people's life...Hey Sayid, remember her?

Yeah, that's Nadia.  The chick you have loved forever, mooned over, despaired over, and ultimately didn't become evil for?  SHOULDN'T SHE BE GOING TO HEAVEN WITH YOU, instead of that skanky Shannon?

How about Aaron?  Dear kid, your life was so unimportant that you get to go to the afterlife as a baby.  Sucks to be you.

Also sucks to be Jack's imaginary son.  Sorry dude, you don't actually exist.

Walt and Micheal, I am sad to see neither of you.  But then again it couldn't explain Walt's age, I suppose.  I would have loved to see Mr. Ekko too...but I just thought his prayer/beating stick was cool. 

I also thought that Ji Yeon would be featured somehow at some point--as that she is the ONLY human being ever conceived on the island.  That we know of.

Okay, enough bitching.  I love the series still.  I'm going to miss watching it every Wednesday with Batman (yeah, we had to wait till it was out on Hulu).  And I'll admit it: I teared up when Sun and Jin flashed, and when Claire gave birth in like two minutes.   

Farewell, hunky angry-eyes Sawyer.  I will miss you, Sayid the torturrah.  Kate, you always are and always were useless.  Jack, no farewell to you because you're kind of whiny and you cry a lot.  Locke, you were always...um...certain of yourself.  Ben, you were quite good at being creepy.  Desmond, you were pretty nifty with your special abilities and button pushing and nice accent.

 Hurley, you are my favorite and get extra hugs for being awesome.  I'm glad you took care of the island.

Goodbye, Losties.     

Good point.

Batman:  I don't think I'd like to get to know Joss Whedon.

Me:  Why not?

Batman:  Because he has spent an inordinate amount of time learning about the way teenage girls think.  And that's just creepy.

So very true.

My Day By The Numbers

Number of puzzle pieces put into the correct spot (out of 2,000):  approximately 500  (minus 15 knocked down by the cats)

Number of cats currently residing in my parents' house:  5

Number of cheerios eaten by my daughter:  approximately 40

Number of Pepperidge farm cookies eaten by yours truly: 5  But I think I may have to have more now.

Number of times I informed Mo-mo that it was rude to try and join the kitty when she was in the litter box:  3

Number of naps: 1

Number of job applications completed:  3

Number of stores I attempted to find fabric at only to find out that they were either closed or didn't sell fabric:  3

That about sums it up.

The Next Best Thing

Guess what I did yesterday?  I'll give you hints.

I wore a robe.

My robe had long dangling sleeves. 

I also had a hood.

If you guessed "YOU BECAME A WIZARD!", you are my new favorite person.  Especially if you said it out loud in a really excited voice. 

I didn't become a wizard.  I graduated with a masters degree.  Which is still pretty cool I guess. 

Shape of an L on my forehead

 Batman and I have finished our degrees and we are moving from southern Illinois to St. Louis.  

Exciting, right?  Batman is done with law school and I'm finished earning my master's in public administration.  We're ready to start our adult life, start paying off some debt, and maybe even thinking about owning a house.....right?

Hahahahahahahaha.   No.

Neither of us have jobs.  Batman at least has an excuse, as it is very difficult to get hired until he passes the bar exam.  We're living in my parents basement indefinitely.  The plus side is that my parents are very nice people and we'll be saving quite a bit of money.  We've lived with them before for a summer (two summers actually) between internships and moving.

The downside is that no matter what, it's still living with my parents as an adult.  I feel like a bad stereotype:  playing World of Warcraft in my parents' basement, unemployed, eating the snacks my stepmom provides.

Have I mentioned that I turn into a sloth when I live with my folks?  They a) believe in  eating ridiculous amounts great food and b) keep the house quite cold.  It makes me want to hibernate.

 

So here's my plan:  

1) Apply for jobs.  Duh.

2) If I do not get a job by the time that Batman is finished with his bar review class in early July, I will start doing temp work.  I have mad data-entry skills.

3) Try not to go insane.  You know, without my own space or my own kitchen or all of my books.  

4) Do some cool things with Mo-mo.  I'm going to be living in a bonafide city...I intend to take advantage of it.

5) Do some projects.  I have a list.  I always do.  I'll share them with you all as I work on them.      

Don't Touch My Baby! Also titled Paranoia Paranoia Everybody's Coming To Get You

I've read many variations of the same complaint on mommy websites:

"OMG why do strangers touch my baby This old lady smiled at my baby and touched her hand and I pulled my baby away and said GOD why do you have to be so rude ewwwww germs I need a sign that says hands off"

I don't understand this reaction. 

I get that there is an automatic mommy-bear reaction when someone you don't know is around your baby.  You want to protect them.  You want to make sure the other person is safe.  I get that, I really do, and I'm not advocating handing your child to the man who stands on the street corner mumbling about puppies and George Bush.

There are times that I understand the concern.  If your child is newborn, especially if he/she were premature, I understand the hesitation and frustration when everyone wants to touch him or her.

But my baby is old enough to crawl.  Anything and everything she sees she puts into her mouth.  I've come to the conclusion that she's going to be exposed to dirt and germs, and although I wouldn't want someone with a cough and fever picking her up, I'm okay with a kindly stranger touching her.

Think about it:  It's not like you are spotlessly clean yourself.  No matter how well you wash your hands, they are dirty.  You touch doorknobs, money, your purse--things that have a large amount of germs on them.  If for some reason these things don't have germs in your house, chances are you are over-sanitizing---and that could be even worse for the health of your baby.

When I hear about these complaints, I think about my grandmother.  I think about how babies are a sign of hope and love, and how these ladies just want to say "hi" to a baby and remember their own children and grandchildren.  It's sad to me that the culture of fear is so prevalent that any stranger, no matter their intention, is viewed is suspicion and distaste and even revulsion by some moms.

Moral of the story: please don't be a jerk when someone touches your baby.

9 Books I Read in April

Don't give me that accusing look because I read 9 books instead of 10.  Yes, I wish it was a nice round number.  But it's not.  Deal with it.  How many books did YOU read this month?!?  I thought so.


1. Changes by Jim Butcher

This is the 12th book in the Dresden File series.  I doubt anyone would just pick up a random book in a series, so I'll recap the basic premise of all them:  Harry Dresden is a real wizard living Chicago.  He advertises in the phonebook, takes cases when they come to him, tries to help out the comes, is a smart ass, and typically kicks more ass than Harry Potter.  Fun series--I really enjoyed this one, especially as Harry becomes a bit darker as time goes on.  This is one of the few series that Batman also reads.


 2. Roadkill by Rob Thurman

 

Again, this is a series.  I think this is the fifth book.  The main character is a half Auphe (aka demon) with a brother that keeps him in line.  It's an interesting series, fast-paced, with a lot of action and not very much romance.  



3. The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey

 

 I found this book on my shelf.  I've apparently owned it for awhile but haven't read it.  I must have known it wasn't going to be very good.
My biggest beef with Mercedes Lackey is that while the plots are interesting, the characters are always boring.  They're too good with none of the interesting vices or personality flaws.  Blah blah blah goody-goody magic kids save the day blah blah blah.  

4. Firebird by Mercedes Lackey

 

You like how I read two books by the same author but am complaining about her writing style?  This one is a bit more interesting, it twists a Russian fairy tale into a novel.  But Orson Scott Card's "Enchanted" is like ten million times better written and more interesting.

 

5.  Bidding for Love by Katie Fforde

 

I'm not ashamned to admit that I read cheesy romance novels at times.  I'm actually searching for new authors, so I tried this one out from the library.  It was cute--not spectacular, but very British and fun.  It's about a young woman who inherits part of an auction business and of course ends up falling for the other part-owner.

6. Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews

 

 Again, looking for new romance authors.  Not a huge fan of this one--I liked it until the contrived ending where the main character freaked out for no reason just so the book wouldn't be over yet.  The premise is that two chefs are competing for a TV cooking show.

7.  Eragon by Christopher Paolini 

 

Or as Batman likes to call it, E-Ragon, the fifth of the Ragon series.  After A-Ragon, B-Ragon...okay, you get the joke.

So this was good...considering that a fifteen year old wrote it.  It was very Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars.  Simplistic, cheesy dialogue, a lot of that "I can't tell you what's going on because the time isn't right" crap.  But a decent story and very impressive considering the kid's age. 

8.  The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

 

Awesome book.  I really enjoyed it and kind of hope that it gets turned into a movie, I think it would make an excellent one.  The story is told through flashback via the "files" that the main character keeps.  She's a private detective working with her family of private detectives, and their job has kind of made them dysfunctional.  She can't date someone without investigating him thoroughly first, her little sister practices "recreational surveillance" and the parents  plant bugs on their children if they feel they need to know something.

9. Truth by Terry Pratchett

 

Oh, Discworld novels.  These are a large series of novels about a made-up parody style sci-fi world.  While it's definitely not necessary to read these books in order, it is kind of nice to have read some of the early ones so you know the main (always reoccurring) characters.  This particular novel is about the invention of the printing press and newspaper.  These books are funny and a quick read.